There's been a lot of concern about the Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks this season after the team failed to draft a long-term option. They've gone all-in on the quarterback competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell but there has yet to be a winner.
The two had some rough patches in training camp but both played well in the preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. O'Connell and Minshew both led scoring drives while not turning the ball over. Wide receiver Davante Adams was out while he awaited the birth of his child so he wasn't able to attend the game.
However, he certainly watched it and was impressed with what he saw.
“I mean, they both balled out,” Adams said at a recent press conference. “They both did their thing and Gardner came in and picked up where Aidan left off. You can see we’ve got two quarterbacks that are not necessarily the same ... the O-line was doing a good job keeping both of those guys clean, as much as possible. I’ve seen a lot of good so, hopefully, we keep doing that and it’s going to make it hard on to figure out. But I’m praying for nothing but success for both of them.”
Adams is vocal when he sees things he doesn't like so his praise for the two quarterbacks is notable. It was refreshing to see O'Connell and Minshew play well when they stepped away from training camp. That could simply be a sign that the Raiders' defense is in a very good place right now.
O'Connell and Minshew played well without Adams and missing Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson. Once the offense is at full strength, the quarterbacks could play at an even higher level. The Raiders certainly don't have the best quarterback in their division but there's no reason why they can't outplay Bo Nix or an injured Justin Herbert.